# Reply 1997 (응답하라 1997)
**Reply 1997** (응답하라 1997) is a 2012 South Korean television series broadcast on the cable channel tvN from July 24 to September 18, 2012, a sentimental retro drama set in the 1990s symbolized by the idol groups H.O.T. and [Sechs Kies](https://www.edgepedia.org/sechs-kies), centered on a high-school girl obsessed with her idol "oppas" and her five friends.[1](https://tvn.cjenm.com/ko/reply1997/) It ran for 16 episodes, airing Tuesdays at 23:00 with two episodes back to back.[2](https://wiki.d-addicts.com/Reply_1997_(2012))
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Broadcast | tvN, 2012.07.24 to 2012.09.18, 16 episodes, Tuesdays 23:00 (two episodes back to back)[1](https://tvn.cjenm.com/ko/reply1997/) • [2](https://wiki.d-addicts.com/Reply_1997_(2012)) |
| Creators | Shin Won-ho (신원호) and Park Sung-jae (박성재); writer Lee Woo-jung (이우정)[3](https://www.tving.com/contents/P000074240) • [4](https://tv.apple.com/kr/show/%EC%9D%91%EB%8B%B5%ED%95%98%EB%9D%BC-1997/umc.cmc.3h4sxsghvtvzebsx0e3ixd99e) |
| Principal cast | Jung Eun-ji (Sung Shi-won), Seo In-guk (Yoon Yoon-je), Shin So-yul (Mo Yu-jung), Eun Ji-won (Do Hak-chan), Hoya (Kang Joon-hee)[1](https://tvn.cjenm.com/ko/reply1997/) |
| Setting | 1990s Busan during the H.O.T. craze, framed by a 2012 class reunion[1](https://tvn.cjenm.com/ko/reply1997/) • [5](https://tvn.cjenm.com/ko/reply1997/episodes/) |
| Finale ratings | 7.55% combined average and 9.47% peak (TNmS), aired simultaneously on tvN, OCN, Mnet, and O'live; 6.12% nationwide (AGB Nielsen)[2](https://wiki.d-addicts.com/Reply_1997_(2012)) |
| Awards | 2013 Cable TV Broadcasting Awards Grand Prize; 49th Baeksang Arts Awards Best New TV Actress (Jung Eun-ji); "All For You" OST awards at the 2012 Melon Music Awards and Mnet Asian Music Awards[2](https://wiki.d-addicts.com/Reply_1997_(2012)) |
| Franchise | First entry of the Reply series, followed by Reply 1994 (2013) and Reply 1988 (2015)[2](https://wiki.d-addicts.com/Reply_1997_(2012)) |
## Production and background
The series was created for tvN by Shin Won-ho and Park Sung-jae, credited as creators on the streaming platform TVING, with Shin Won-ho directing and [Lee Woo-jung](https://www.edgepedia.org/lee-woo-jung) as main screenwriter.[3](https://www.tving.com/contents/P000074240) • [4](https://tv.apple.com/kr/show/%EC%9D%91%EB%8B%B5%ED%95%98%EB%9D%BC-1997/umc.cmc.3h4sxsghvtvzebsx0e3ixd99e) • [2](https://wiki.d-addicts.com/Reply_1997_(2012)) The show's declared subject is the intense fandom culture that arose during the 1990s, a period when idol groups dominated the spotlight and K-pop was flourishing.[2](https://wiki.d-addicts.com/Reply_1997_(2012)) The official tvN description frames the decade through H.O.T. and Sechs Kies.[1](https://tvn.cjenm.com/ko/reply1997/)
## Plot and structure
The drama runs on a dual timeline. In 2012, a "Seoul-area Busan Gwang-an High School class reunion" begins at a bar in Hongdae, where a couple among the old friends announces their marriage.[5](https://tvn.cjenm.com/ko/reply1997/episodes/) These reunion scenes are interwoven with flashbacks to April 1997 in Busan, where the story of Shi-won, a first-generation H.O.T. fangirl, begins.[5](https://tvn.cjenm.com/ko/reply1997/episodes/) Apple TV's synopsis describes the same premise: six Busan Gwang-an High classmates meet at the reunion and hear the marriage announcement, against the background of the H.O.T. craze that produced "bbasunie" (obsessive fangirl) culture.[4](https://tv.apple.com/kr/show/%EC%9D%91%EB%8B%B5%ED%95%98%EB%9D%BC-1997/umc.cmc.3h4sxsghvtvzebsx0e3ixd99e)
A third time layer sits between the two: episode synopses include a 2005 storyline in which Yoon-je has become a promising judge who avoids the reunion.[5](https://tvn.cjenm.com/ko/reply1997/episodes/) The identity of Shi-won's husband is withheld until the 2012 timeline catches up: "Finally, in 2012, Shi-won's husband is revealed" at the reunion.[5](https://tvn.cjenm.com/ko/reply1997/episodes/) Netflix's listing summarizes the frame from the present-day side: as a teen, Shi-won was obsessed with a boy band; now 33 years old, she and her friends revive their memories as the reunion nears.[6](https://www.netflix.com/title/70297144)
## Cast and characters
The official tvN cast listing names five principals: Sung Shi-won played by [Jung Eun-ji](https://www.edgepedia.org/jung-eun-ji) (정은지), Yoon Yoon-je by [Seo In-guk](https://www.edgepedia.org/seo-in-guk) (서인국), Mo Yu-jung by Shin So-yul (신소율), Do Hak-chan by [Eun Ji-won](https://www.edgepedia.org/eun-ji-won) (은지원), and Kang Joon-hee by Hoya (호야).[1](https://tvn.cjenm.com/ko/reply1997/) TVING's fuller cast list adds Lee Si-eon, Sung Dong-il, Lee Il-hwa, and Song Jong-ho.[3](https://www.tving.com/contents/P000074240)
The series carried career recognition for its young leads. Seo In-guk won Best New Actor at the 2012 5th Korea Drama Awards and a Rising Star Award at the 2012 1st K-Drama Star Awards, and Jung Eun-ji won Best New TV Actress at the 2013 49th Baeksang Arts Awards.[2](https://wiki.d-addicts.com/Reply_1997_(2012))
## 1990s cultural setting
The drama's period texture comes from specific, dated details of first-generation fandom. Episode synopses describe classroom fights between Sechs Kies fans and H.O.T. fans over the classroom TV, and Shi-won's father tearing up her bromides (printed idol photos collected by fans) over her rank-48 grades.[4](https://tv.apple.com/kr/show/%EC%9D%91%EB%8B%B5%ED%95%98%EB%9D%BC-1997/umc.cmc.3h4sxsghvtvzebsx0e3ixd99e) The official episode guide opens the 1997 timeline with the line that Shi-won "laughed and cried over H.O.T." as a first-generation fangirl.[5](https://tvn.cjenm.com/ko/reply1997/episodes/) The drama is grounded in Busan, with the reunion explicitly a gathering of Busan Gwang-an High School alumni living in the Seoul area.[5](https://tvn.cjenm.com/ko/reply1997/episodes/)
## Reception, awards, and ratings
The series' ratings trajectory is the clearest measure of its reception. Per TNmS Media Korea, ratings rose from 1.20% for the first two episodes to a combined 7.55% average and a 9.47% peak for the finale; the last two episodes aired simultaneously on four cable channels, tvN, OCN, Mnet, and O'live, to handle demand. AGB Nielsen recorded 6.12% nationwide for the last episode.[2](https://wiki.d-addicts.com/Reply_1997_(2012))
Awards followed in 2012 and 2013: the Grand Prize at the 2013 7th Cable TV Broadcasting Awards, Jung Eun-ji's Baeksang Best New TV Actress, Seo In-guk's Korea Drama Awards Best New Actor, and Best OST wins for "All For You," sung by Seo In-guk and Jung Eun-ji, at both the 2012 [Melon Music Awards](https://www.edgepedia.org/melon-music-awards) and the 2012 Mnet Asian Music Awards.[2](https://wiki.d-addicts.com/Reply_1997_(2012))
## Sequels and availability
Reply 1997 is the first entry of a related tvN series followed by [Reply 1994](https://www.edgepedia.org/reply-1994) (2013) and [Reply 1988](https://www.edgepedia.org/reply-1988) (2015).[2](https://wiki.d-addicts.com/Reply_1997_(2012)) The series remains legally streamable: on TVING, CJ ENM's own Korean platform;[3](https://www.tving.com/contents/P000074240) on Apple TV in Korea, which credits director Shin Won-ho and writer Lee Woo-jung and rates it 15;[4](https://tv.apple.com/kr/show/%EC%9D%91%EB%8B%B5%ED%95%98%EB%9D%BC-1997/umc.cmc.3h4sxsghvtvzebsx0e3ixd99e) and on Netflix, listed as a 2012 romance with a TV-MA rating.[6](https://www.netflix.com/title/70297144)
## References
1. [응답하라 1997 | tvN (official program page)](https://tvn.cjenm.com/ko/reply1997/)
2. [Reply 1997 (2012) - DramaWiki](https://wiki.d-addicts.com/Reply_1997_(2012))
3. [응답하라 1997 | TVING](https://www.tving.com/contents/P000074240)
4. [응답하라 1997 - Apple TV (Korea)](https://tv.apple.com/kr/show/%EC%9D%91%EB%8B%B5%ED%95%98%EB%9D%BC-1997/umc.cmc.3h4sxsghvtvzebsx0e3ixd99e)
5. [응답하라 1997 미리보기 | tvN (official episode guide)](https://tvn.cjenm.com/ko/reply1997/episodes/)
6. [Watch Reply 1997 | Netflix](https://www.netflix.com/title/70297144)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › International serial drama and telenovelas › East Asian drama series › Korean contemporary drama › Comedy and slice-of-life series*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 18, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 18, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license